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Public, Economic and Legal Manifestations of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Republic of Armenia

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Public, Economic and Legal Manifestations of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Republic of Armenia Public, economic and legal manifestations of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Armenia Authors: Mkrtchyan Arem Osipyan Ashot Sahakyan Siranush July, 2020 Yerevan 1. Changes in the public life of Armenia amidst the Covid-19 pandemic Table of Contents 1. Problem Statement …........................................................................................3 2. Study Design ……………..……..........................................................................4 3. Definition of the Object of the Study................................................................5 4. Socio-Political Relations in the RoA Amidst the Pandemic……………….....6 5. Socio-Economic Relations in the RoA Amidst the Pandemic.....................17 6. Socio-Cultural Relations in the RoA Amidst the Pandemic.........................22 7. Psycho-Social Relations in the RoA Amidst the Pandemic.........................25 8. Conclusion……………………......……………………………………….………...27 9. Bibliography.....................................................................................................29 10. Annexes............................................................................................................30 2 Problem Statement A state of emergency was declared all over the territory of the Republic of Armenia (RoA) due to the Covid-19 pandemic on 16 March 2020. Such a regime implied transformations and even sanctions on some rules of public life. Thus, a new situation developed, in which some formerly accepted regulations for public relationships stopped being relevant and the acceptance of new rules became time-consuming. Manifestations of public life that suffered the most transformation were more evident in some of the socio- political, socio-economic, socio-cultural, and psycho-social aspects. In parallel, the conditions of home isolation, self-isolation, means of official business, interpersonal communication, and group communication were transformed. These opportunities were granted by the utilization of modern technological communication channels. Thus, the transformation of public life and its new manifestation in Armenia conditioned by the pandemic remains non-interpreted. This analysis is based on a sociological study showing the transformations in Socio-political, socio-economic, socio-cultural, and socio-psychological aspects that have taken place in the Republic of Armenia since 16 March 2020. ֍֍֍ 3 Study Design Description of methodology To assess the above-mentioned problems, a sociological study was conducted by using the method of document review. For this study, publications including texts, images and video/audio materials available in electronic format were considered as documents/secondary data. This method allows for the presentation of defined problems in greater detail for a situation in which field methods of sociological study are not feasible (due to the pandemic). The results of the quantitative survey conducted online by a group of graduates from the YSU Department of Sociology during March-April 2020 have been considered for secondary data analysis. Range of online sources Among the considered sources are materials related to processes taking place in the Republic of Armenia during the pandemic, which have been published on social media and electronic media since 16 March 2020 (the commencement date of the state of emergency). One hundred Armenians most frequently viewed news and social websites, as well as the pages of state agencies and officials, according to alexa.com. The list of websites is presented in Annex 3. ֍֍֍ 4 Study Objectives The Purpose of the Study is to analyse the transformation of the main features of public life in Armenia in the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic. Definition of the object of the study: The objects of the study are the available electronic documents (electronic articles, images, video, and audio materials) that demonstrate and/or interpret the situation established as a result of the pandemic in Armenia. Study Objectives: the following objectives were set for the study: 1. To present an analysis of the following socio-political phenomena in the RoA conditioned by the pandemic: • Specifics of the state response • Transformation of official communication mechanisms • Specifics of decision-making in the state of emergency (Commandant’s Office activity) • Specifics of civic activism in society 2. To present an analysis of the following socio-economic phenomena in the RoA conditioned by the pandemic: • Regulations of business relationships (state-employer, employer-employee) during the state of emergency • Implementation of new state social assistance programs • Specifics of household management under the condition of restricted movement • Specifics of consumer behavior under the condition of restricted service sectors 3. To present an analysis of the following socio-cultural phenomena in the RoA conditioned by the pandemic: • Specifics of the organization of education • Specifics of the organization of public events and celebrations by the state • Specifics of routine activity under the condition of restricted movement 5 4. To present an analysis of the following psycho-social phenomena in the RoA conditioned by the pandemic: • Manifestations containing uncertainty related to the restoration and/or continuity of public life and relationships • Existence of public frustration or preconditions thereof • Social and psychological implications of restricted rights to free movement and privacy • Manifestations of trust or distrust towards the healthcare system and the fear of getting infected ֍֍֍ Socio-Political Relations in the RoA Amidst the Pandemic Specifics of the state response The specifics of political processes conditioned by the pandemic commenced when the state of emergency was declared in the Republic of Armenia in March 2020. The RoA Government Decree of 16 March states: “The Government decided to declare state of emergency all over the territory of the Republic of Armenia commencing at 18:30 of March 16, 2020 until 17:00 of April 14, 2020 inclusively”.1 This situation assumed certain processes to ensure the health of the society. The state of emergency has resulted in the revision of the relevance of formerly existing political processes, as well as in setting new foci for political actions. For example, the referendum on the constitution was postponed, the propaganda for which had already been fully distributed all over the territory of Armenia. 1Official web-site of the RoA Prime Minister, https://www.primeminister.am/hy/press- release/item/2020/03/16/Cabinet-meeting/, 08.06.2020, 14:00 6 At a special sitting of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan noted “A referendum cannot be held in a state of emergency, so April 5 referendum is cancelled”.2 During the state of emergency, the Government started re-assessing various political processes and prioritizing processes aiming to prevent the pandemic. As a result, they temporarily postponed or cancelled those processes that were not in alignment with the rules. This was the first time that such a situation occurred in the RoA. As a start to the transformation of public life, the state of emergency is more exciting to observe from the perspective of various innovations, the alteration of routine, and the introduction of new procedures and laws. On 16 March, since the announcement of the state of emergency, new procedures and Government decrees were developed, aimed at crisis management and the prevention of the pandemic. The initial stage was accompanied by temporary restrictions on communication with other states. The first lines of communication to close were with the Russian Federation (RF) and the Islamic Republic of Iran. These closures resulted in huge problems for citizens trying to return to Armenia, as well as for streamlining cargo transportation. As a result of the cancellation of regular air transportation, many RoA citizens were deprived of the opportunity to return to their homeland.3 The RoA Government organized limited air transportation for RoA citizens to return to Armenia from RF and other states. During this period, all arrivals imposed a certain level of risk of triggering the spread of the pandemic. At earlier stages of the pandemic, passenger transportation to Armenia from other countries where the pandemic was widespread was allowed, and arriving passengers were not isolated. This is when the first cases of infection were reported in Armenia (the first case was a RoA citizen arriving from Iran on 3 January4). With regards to the necessity of isolating arriving passengers, the RoA Minister of Healthcare stated: 2https://iravaban.net/262066.html, 08.06.2020, 14:30 3Interview of Vardan Toghanyan, the RoA Ambassador to the RF on the issues faced by those willing to return to Armenia, https://www.mfa.am/hy/COVID-19/2020/04/05/ru_int/10196, 10.06.2020, 15:00 4https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30462197.html, 10.06.2020, 16:00 7 “On the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in Armenia, Arsen Torosyan, the RoA Minister of Healthcare, mentioned that isolating all passengers arriving on the same plane from Tehran to Armenia together with the 29-year old person is not a solution”.5 However, after the announcement of the state of emergency, control over the passengers arriving to Armenia was strengthened. Such measures undertaken by the Government of the RoA received a critical response from the political opposition. Similarly, opposition actors later related the spread of the pandemic in Armenia to the belated
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